Premier League of eSwatini giants Mbabane Swallows players were all in smiles last weekend after getting $170 each to enable them take precautionary measures related to Coronavirus pandemic which has already claimed more than 150 lives in Africa.
The player received the bonus together with their March salaries from the club president Archbishop Bheki Lukele, who promised to send more cash directly to the players’ accounts as the efforts to contain the disease threaten a global recession.
Swallows’ management action is different from other clubs in the Southern African country as many reduced or deferred their footballers’ salaries. Mbabane Highlanders and Tambuti are some of the teams which have already announced that they will effect 50 per cent salary cuts as they look to contend with coronavirus crisis.
“We are lucky to have someone like him especially in such challenging times. Other teams are talking about salary cuts of up to 50 per cent but we have not only paid the players in full but even gave them a bonus of E3 000 ($170) each so that they can be locked down at home and still be able to have enough food and other mitigating factors related to the coronavirus,” the source told Times of Swaziland.
The Premier League of eSwatini was postponed on March 13, 2020 by the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) in due to the emergent distress of the deadly virus which has been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic.
EFA also suspended Regional, Women Competitions and the Development Programmes under their auspice.
A new schedule set to be communicated after getting advice from the international bodies and competent authorities on the evolution and impact of the virus in the country and transnationally.
Normally the local competitions end in May but chances are now high that this current football season will end beyond the normal period.
Swallows are currently second on the MTN sponsored league table with 36 points accumulated after 17 round of matches.
